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The Star of Jacob
Plot Summary The Duke of Frome, John Langton, with his wife, their baby born after complications during childbirth, a domineering nanny, nursery maid and valet arrive at Montague Hall for Lady Felicia's Yuletide ball. During the evening the baby is taken from his cot. Inspector Mallory suspects an inside job by the valet when his secret wife arrives while Brown is more interested in the birth of the baby at a home for unmarried mothers. Mrs McCarthy, under pressure from the diocese to provide a Christmas service fit for a Duke, receives unexpected help from a vagrant, Michael Negal, she finds sleeping in the confessional. Synopsis Father Brown returns home from the football match and is greeted by Canon Fox from the Diocese, the Canon has come round to go over the forthcoming Christmas Mass and orders Father Brown to make sure it as authentic as possible following the previous year's "enthusiastic" interpretation. He also warns the Father that the Duke of Frome (a cousin of Lady Felicia) will be spending Christmas at Montague and will be attending the Christmas Mass as well as himself, further emphasizing the need for authenticity, even demanding snow. Father Brown accompanies Lady Felicia (in Monty's absence) in welcoming the Duke, his wife Diana and their newborn son (the Marquess) David, accompanied by the Duke's valet, maid and the bossy Nanny Langton. Meanwhile at St. Marys, Mrs McCarthy discovers Michael Negal, a tramp asleep and half-frozen in the confessional and brings him into the Presbytery to warm up and eat a hot meal. Father Brown returns and offers food and a bed for the tramp in exchange for helping out with the Christmas mass preparations, though Mrs McCarthy is frustrated by his lack of manners. That evening, at Montague the Yuletide Ball in full swing and the mood is slightly spoiled when the Duke's cousin Basil turns up asking for money to pay off his gambling debts, the Duke refuses and Basil storms off warning his cousin will regret that decision. Father Brown bumps into Inspector Mallory who is trying to hide from his wife due to her insistence of dancing with him, even despite his current bout of gout. He is spared this when Sergeant Goodfellow arrives and informs him that the Marquess is missing. The initial investigation points to a kidnapping with the culprit climbing a ladder outside and climbing through an open window. Though Father Brown disproves this theory of entry by pointing out the ladder hasn't sunk into the mud, it would have had someone used it. Mallory now looks at the possibility of the kidnapping being an inside job and questions a hungover Basil, who admits the birth of the Marquess demoted him to second in line to the dukedom but that he would have made a bad duke. During the search of the land surrounding Montague, they discover Hannah Parkin, who was delivering a Christmas card to her husband George, the Duke's valet despite the position requiring an unmarried status. Despite breaking this rule, the Duke forgives him and retains George's services even organising for the couple to be set up in a new home. The manhunt outside leads to the grisly discovery of the Marquess's bloodsoaked nightgown. The maid goes to the Inspector and informs him that George brought up Nanny's cocoa, which was discovered to have been drugged. A search of his room discovers a bottle of sleeping pills and he is subsequently arrested, at the station Hannah turns up and demands to see her husband, Mallory refuses and informs her that he is to be charged with kidnapping and potentially murder. On Christmas morning, Father Brown and Lady Felicia come to St Marys to light a candle for David when they discover the Marquess lying in the Nativity's manger. A search of the church discovers a bottle of whisky in the confessional, Father Brown asks Michael what he saw overnight as he was sleeping in the church. He in turn answers with "Jocabed" (Jocabed being Moses' mother who left her child in the rushes where he was found by Pharoah's daughter and raised a prince). Father Brown rushes to see Hannah and informs her that he knows she left the Marquess in the church. Hannah reveals that she gave birth at the same maternity hospital for wayward mothers that the Marquess was born at (Diana needed emergency surgery). Hannah had initially been told her son Jacob had died during the night, though later she discovered that her son was still alive having been switched with the real Marquess who had died that night, she learned this after noticing the star-shaped birthmark on the child's arm from the Marquess' birth announcement photograph in the newspaper. George initially took the valet job not with the intention of stealing back their son but to make sure he was being well cared for. However, they deemed that their son was not getting the necessary love from Nanny or Diana so they decided to take him back, George drugged Nanny Langton and Hannah snuck in and took her son, the blood on the gown was hers (the Christmas card contained a cryptic message "Our Son Safe"). She returned the child to try and save her husband's life. Father Brown then heads to Montague and offers his condolences to the Duke on the death of his real son. He explains that the surgery had left Diana infertile and the Marquess weak, upon waking the next day, he discovered that Nanny Langton had switched Jacob and the real Marquess (who had died). Nanny Langton attempts to justify her decision to maintain an heir to the dukedom to avoid it falling into Basil's hands and callously stating that the child would have been given up for adoption anyway, only for Father Brown to inform the pair of the identity of Jacob's real parents and that the Duke's position is meaningless to God only his actions. Father Brown advises the guilt-ridden Duke to do the right thing, he returns Jacob to his mother, and informs Inspector Mallory of the "accidental switch at birth" in order for George to be freed to spend Christmas with his wife and son. The Christmas Mass gets underway and despite a few hiccups, such as losing the choir soloist to laryngitis (with Michael stepping in to Mrs McCarthy's shock and delight) it is a holiday spectacular complete with snow. During the Mass, Diana informs her husband that her recent bout of illness is in fact morning sickness and she is with child, to the Duke's joy. Father Brown blesses the couple as the Duke informs Canon Fox of his enjoyment of the Mass and to pass his praise onto the Bishop. Meanwhile, Mallory laments to Goodfellow that he was so caught up with the case that he forgot to buy presents for his family, Goodfellow however informs the Inspector that he bought him presents on his behalf, overcome by this act of kindness and generosity, the Inspector's cold heart is warmed with Christmas cheer. At the Presbytery, Father Brown, Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy toast to Sid's absence and they notice Michael's disappearance, Lady Felicia jokes that the tramp was a Christmas miracle, though Father Brown reminds them that miracles do happen. Outside St Marys, Michael walks through the snow with his footprints mysteriously disappearing behind him.